In this April 24, 2015, kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart looks on during a news conference in Sandy, Utah. Wanda Barzee, a woman convicted of helping a former street preacher kidnap Smart in 2002 will be freed from prison more than five years earlier than expected, a surprise decision that Smart called "incomprehensible" on Sept. 11, 2018. Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
SALT LAKE CITY—Elizabeth Smart said on Sept. 13 the news that one of her kidnappers will be released from prison next week was “a big shock,” and she hopes there is a way the woman can be committed to a treatment facility since there is no legal recourse to keep her behind bars.
Wanda Barzee is expected to be freed next week after 15 years in custody, following a surprise announcement that Utah authorities had miscalculated the amount of time the 72-year-old woman should serve.
